


can't find the exit again

by cirrus (halfmoonjisung)



Category: Produce 101 (TV), UP10TION
Genre: (kind of), First Love, Firsts, Kid Fic, M/M, jinwoo is jinhyuk's son lmao what's new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28612860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfmoonjisung/pseuds/cirrus
Summary: It's a harmless interview. Plus, his son needs it for school. Surely, this question asking him about the first time he found out about love couldn't go wrong.In fact, it might make everything right again.
Relationships: Kim Wooseok | Wooshin/Lee Jinhyuk
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29
Collections: Challenge #8 — Ending with a Bang





	can't find the exit again

**Author's Note:**

> **theme: firsts**
> 
> _title from nct dream's "love again"_

Jinhyuk squints at the paper, as if doing so will change the words written on it. From across the table, he hears Jinwoo laugh. “Dad,” the boy says. “I didn’t make that up.”

He still frowns. “I still fail to see the importance of this… question. How is this relevant?”

Jinwoo shrugs. “I say the same about mathematics, but I still study it anyway.”

Jinhyuk can’t even stop the smile on his face. He doesn’t want to assume entirely, but he believes that Jinwoo got his wits and cleverness from Jinhyuk. Sure, Jinwoo’s mom was just as sharp, but Jinhyuk sees himself too much in Jinwoo that he believes the boy takes after him a whole lot more.

Jinwoo smiles back at him and Jinhyuk’s heart melts at the sight. Sure, Jinwoo came to the world because of Jinhyuk and Eunbi’s recklessness, but he wouldn’t trade the little guy for anything else. He doesn’t entirely understand why Eunbi chose not to take custody of the kid, but at the same time, Jinhyuk’s grateful that he’s the one who witnesses the boy grow up.

He reads the question on the paper Jinwoo handed him again, this time out loud. _“How did you first find out about love?_ Isn’t this a bit broad?”

“It is,” Jinwoo replies, helping himself with some mandarins Jinhyuk brought home yesterday. “We answered the same question yesterday. Our actual homework is comparing our answers with that of our parents’.”

“Hmm…” Jinhyuk muses, playing with the edges of the paper. “It really depends on what kind of love. With familial love, I first knew about it when your grandmother made me carrot soup and it tasted so bad but I finished it anyway because when I told her that the food was great, the joy in her face is unparalleled. With platonic love, I first knew about it when your Uncle Byungchan only had half a sandwich back in kindergarten and yet he’d still cut it into another half just to give some to me. And then the special kind of love—I found out about it when you were born.”

Jinwoo coos, and it makes Jinhyuk laugh. “That’s cute. And sweet. What about the other kind?”

Jinhyuk tilts his head. “I don’t think I’m following?”

“The romantic kind!”

A particular name and face crosses his mind, making Jinhyuk smile. “Ah, that one. Hmm… it all started with this boy back in preschool. He’s an avid reader of books. During that time, I was only grasping my ability to read, so one time he saw me struggling to read a story, he approached me and offered to read it out loud for me. His voice was just as pretty as his face and personality. We became acquaintances after that, and ever since then, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. One smile at me and I could write paragraphs about it. I guess I was in love before I even knew that _that’s_ what it’s called. I don’t know where he is now, but I still haven’t forgotten him.”

“Cute!” Jinwoo squeals. “What’s his name?”

Jinhyuk can never forget it. “Kim Wooseok.”

The instant he says that, Jinwoo falls off his chair. Alarmed, Jinhyuk rushes to him quickly and helps him get up. “Are you okay?”

“Y—yes,” Jinwoo tells him. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

Jinhyuk concludes the interview himself and makes Jinwoo rest anyway.

  
  
  
  


Three days later, on Jinhyuk’s day off, he makes his way to Jinwoo’s campus where he’ll pick him up and take him to their usual ice cream hang out.

They spot each other by the gates pretty quickly, but Jinwoo only motions for Jinhyuk to follow him and goes back inside. Not really having a choice, Jinhyuk does just that.

“Is this the faculty room?” Jinhyuk asks once he manages to catch up on his son. He then gives Jinwoo a stern look. “Did you get in trouble and you’re only telling me now?”

“No!” Jinwoo quickly denies. “I just forgot my essay. You know, the one where I interviewed you?”

Jinhyuk sighs. “Okay, I’ll just wait for you in the car—“

The faculty door opens, interrupting whatever Jinhyuk has to say. Out steps what seems like a teacher who immediately turns his back from Jinhyuk and faces Jinwoo instead. “Ah, there you are,” he hears the teacher say. “You forgot to get your essay from me a while ago.”

Jinwoo takes the paper and beams. “Thank you! Are you going home, sir?”

The teacher nods. “Yeah, I’ll be on my way. You should too. Isn’t your dad taking you to an ice cream parlor today.”

Jinwoo nods and gestures towards Jinhyuk. “There he is!”

“Oh, hello Mr. Lee—“

They don’t get to finish whatever it is they’re saying, but that’s okay because Jinhyuk is equally just as speechless. For a while, they’re stuck in what seems like an endless staring contest until Jinwoo makes a happy noise from behind them.

“Mr. Kim,” he begins. “This is my dad, Lee Jinhyuk. Dad, this is my English teacher, Kim Wooseok.”

Wooseok is the first one to break the silence. “Wow, Lee Jinhyuk, is that really you? It’s been so long!”

From the corner of his eye, Jinhyuk sees Jinwoo giving him a thumbs up from behind.

“Uh… yeah!” He musters, chuckling. “It’s been so long indeed. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Wooseok laughs and it still sounds all too familiar. “Please, you looked _stunned_ to see me.”

His heart beats like crazy as he grins. “Could say the same to you.”

“Dad!” Jinwoo interjects, rushing to his side. “Can Mr. Kim come with us?”

“Well,” Jinhyuk begins, catching Wooseok’s eye. “Only if he’s okay with it.”

And then Wooseok smiles and Jinhyuk is taken back to the emotions he had twenty years back.

He welcomes the feeling.

Perhaps it's because they never really left.

“I’d love that,” Wooseok says, and Jinhyuk thinks that maybe, just maybe, Wooseok welcomes the feeling all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i just wrote this because i miss my little pdx family ;;; i hope jinhyuk, wooseok, jinwoo, and you reading this will have a great year ahead <3


End file.
